Thomas Mitchell Biography

Fast Facts

• Became the first person to win the coveted "Triple Crown of Acting," an Oscar, Emmy and Tony, in 1953
• His brother James served as Dwight D․ Eisenhower's Secretary of Labor from 1953 to 1961
• Born to a family of journalists, he started out as a newspaperman at the Newark Journal, where his brother was managing editor
• Made his Broadway debut in the 1920s, all while continuing to write, a side-career that would eventually lead him to Hollywood
• Made his screen acting debut in the film "Six Cylinder Love" in 1923
• Quote: "A lot of people say I've deserted my art because I left Broadway and the stage ․․․ I'm no artist․ I'm a working man․ I've got a trade just like any other mechanic, and I follow my trade where the work is․"
• Quote: "[Film gave me a] more expansive canvas on which to work․ It enabled me to round out a fuller characterization․"
• Best known for playing Gerald O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" and Uncle Billy in "It's a Wonderful Life․"
• With the advent of television, he switched his focus to the new medium in the early 1950s, appearing in some of the earliest TV series, including "Studio One," "Lux Video Theater," "Zane Gray Theatre" and "The O․ Henry Playhouse․"